Dec. 11, 2025

🌴346. I spent $11,899 running a one-person business

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Show Notes

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This year, I ran my entire consulting business solo. No staff. No office. Just me, my laptop, and 51 paid tools doing the work of bookings, editing, hosting, scheduling, storage, marketing, fitness, and even entertainment.

Total spend

$11,899 AUD

Before you jump to judgement, this episode isn’t about flexing tools or convincing you to buy anything.

It’s about decision-making.

I sat down and did a full tech audit. What I’m keeping. What I’ve cut. And what I’m seriously questioning going into next year.

In this episode, I don’t read the full Substack article because it’s long and detailed. Instead, I share:

Why I deliberately mix business and personal tech in one audit
The two rules I use to stop tools creeping out of control
The platforms that genuinely earn their keep
The tools I probably should’ve cancelled earlier
Where I’m torn between “this works” and “this is just habit”

You’ll hear why:

I still pay a lot for Hello Audio and don’t regret it
Descript is the reason this podcast even exists
I don’t use a CRM or project management tool and why that’s intentional
I’m questioning long-term loyalty to ChatGPT
YouTube Premium quietly became one of my best subscriptions

If you’re a solopreneur, consultant, creator, or anyone running a one-person show, this episode will either make you feel very validated… or very itchy to open your subscriptions list.

The full breakdown, including every tool, cost, category, and rationale, is linked in the show notes on Substack.

Read it. Then audit your own setup.

Because the real cost isn’t the software.

It’s the indecision.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help: